Obadiah – Page 7 – I'm Following Jesus

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, July 01, 2017
Chapters: Obadiah, Psalms 82-83
Message: Pride Comes Before A Fall

Hello My Friend,

The Book of Obadiah is the smallest book of the Old Testament, only having one chapter, but it is a powerful book. The purpose of the book was to warn Edom of God’s punishment for being a sinful nation and against His people. What we are to learn from the book is that God brings down all whom have been sinfully exalted. “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.” – Obadiah 1:4.

Obadiah was in the Northern Kingdom during the time that Ahab reigned and it was near impossible to find a Godly person there. While Israel was being judged with famines and other calamities, Edom was conspiring to take the land for themselves, of course, God who sees and knows all was not happy with what they were doing, therefore, they too will face judgment. It is probable that Obadiah prophesied this after Ahab died, and during the time that Athaliah took over in Judah, these were the visions God gave him concerning God’s judgment on them, who are actually kin to Israel, Esau’s brother.

“The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.” – Obadiah 1:1-4.

“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee,” Pride; there are two types of pride, one is having self-esteem, taking pleasure in our accomplishments, we do our best because we take pleasure in having accomplished something. The other is having too high self-esteem, being arrogant, egotistical, it’s having an unreasonable conceit of one’s own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office. It is pride that keeps people from knowing Christ as their Saviour, it is pride that makes oneself a god, and it is pride that stop people from admitting they are sinners. While pride can help us do our very best, it can also destroy us if we get too proud of our accomplishments. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” – Proverbs 16:18-19.

“Pride goeth before destruction,” Speaking of destruction, Edom was proud of their wealth and riches, much of it gotten deceitfully, they had a great military, and allies all over the world so they thought they were secure and that no one could defeat them, God on the other hand was about to prove them otherwise. God places judgment upon people and nations to get them to see their need for Him and repent, but He takes no pleasure in it, especially when it has to do it upon His people, and anyone who mocks those being judged will be judged themselves. No one can escape judgment, we will all stand before Christ, pride is always deceiving, and will destroy us if we let it. Instead of rejoicing when God places judgment, we need to be praying for them.

“Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.” – Psalm 82:4-8.

God was giving this warning well before Edom actually did many of the things they did. You see, God always knows what is going on, just like He foretold the destructive path of Israel, He knows the destructive path of every nation. God continues reprimanding Edom on their behavior toward Israel, He foretells its destruction and also has a message of hope for Israel.

“For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.” – Obadiah 1:15-18,21.

“But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance,” Much of this refers to the Jews returning from Babylon after being in captivity for seventy years and setting to restore Israel, but there is also a prophetic message here of a King who will judge from Mt Zion, and that is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. A remnant of Israel shall be saved and for those who come in faith and hope to this Mount Zion deliverance shall be wrought from wrath and the curse, from sin, and death, and hell, while those who continue afar off shall be left to perish. The kingdom shall be Christ’s, He will reign with perfect and just judgment, those who receive Him will be delivered, those who do not will be like rubble, and even death will not be an escape. “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” – John 5:26-29.

Psalm 83 was written during the time Jehoshaphat’s army marched out against the great confederacy of nations, which threatened the very existence of Israel. This song was sung before the battle, in anticipation of a victory, the Levites chanted it with a loud voice, in full assurance that God would deliver them. While God dealt with Israel in His own way, they were still His people, any enemy of Israel was an enemy of God and therefore they will receive the greater judgment.

“Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” – Psalm 83:1-4,15-18.

“that they may seek thy name,” We must realize that nothing escapes God, He knows everything and sees everything that is going to happen tomorrow with the choices we make today. Let me tell you, if Edom would have just let go of their pride, God would have save them too, He will save all who calls on Him by faith. We all have the ability to change our paths, every soul that has not been redeemed has a future in hell, God made it easier for us to be redeemed once and for all and that is through His Son, and it is up to each one of us to make that choice. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:9-13.

Jesus Christ Magnified: Today, Jesus is revealed as the Judge who will award everyone according to their works (Oba 1:15). “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” – Matthew 16:27.

Today’s Prayer: God, You have blessed us with so much, You have given life to all who believe in and receive Your Son. We are saved only by trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection, and He not only saves us from hell, but out of every mess that we have gotten ourselves into if we come to Him. How merciful You are, how wonderful You are, to save a sinner like me. I know that pride often gets me in trouble, when I ought to be humbling myself before You in every decision, I think I can do it on my own and make my own decision, and that often leads to a bad one. Lord, lead me and guide me, help me let go of my pride, to come to You with every decision I need to make, and give me the wisdom to discern right from wrong in every matter. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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